October 29, 2015


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jared-fogle-former-subway-spokesman-secret-recordings-child-porn-to-be-revealed-on-dr-phil/

Jared Fogle reveals how he lured kids in secret recordings
CBS NEWS
October 29, 2015


New evidence that led investigators to the arrest of former Subway Spokesman Jared Fogle is surfacing, and they're in his own words.

Fogle was indicted on child porn and child sex charges in August. He has accepted a plea deal and is awaiting sentencing.

Fogle was secretly recorded by a woman who had befriended him and then became an FBI informant, reports Vladimir Duthiers of CBS News's digital network, CBSN.

The Daytime talk show "Dr.Phil" obtained the recordings and will air them Thursday. CBS News independently verified the recordings with the FBI.

In the audio recordings, being heard publicly for the first time, Jared Fogle discusses his sexual interest in children.

"I like all ages. That's the thing I mean," Fogle tells a woman in the recording. "It depends...who is ready for what. You know, who's going to give you the glance."

The woman with Fogle is Rochelle Herman-Walrond, a former radio host who interviewed him and became suspicious when she overhead him say he found middle school girls attractive.

Herman-Walrond told Dr. Phil McGraw she began providing secretly recorded conversations to the FBI, calling them "disgusting."

"I felt like I was so dirty," she told Dr. Phil. "My soul was dirty."

Fogle even details the process of how he approaches the young victims.

"We just start sharing stories, and then, you know, we get a little closer, and a little closer, and a little closer, and before you know it...it just starts to happen," Fogle told Herman-Walrond, saying it was not hard "at all."

"He talks about how to groom a family, he talks about how to groom the victim, he talks about all the things he does, the tricks of his trade," Dr. Phil said. "He just basically gives you the playbook of an evil monster."

Fogle became a household name as a pitchman for Subway, and used his fame to establish a foundation promoting healthy lifestyles among children.

In August, Fogle pleaded guilty to one count of distributing and receiving child pornography and one count of crossing state lines to engage in illicit sex with minors. He will be sentenced in November.

Subway cut ties with its spokesman following his arrest. In September, the chain said Hermand-Walrond made a serious complaint about Fogle in 2011, but that it had been mishandled.

After amassing five years-worth of recordings, Herman-Walrond finally reached her breaking point when Fogle mentioned her two young children.

"What if we, what if we put a camera in your kids' room, would they be okay with that?," he asks her in the recording. "Would you rather have it in your son or your daughter's room? Which one do you think would be better?"

Dr. Phil said Herman-Walrond had to distance herself from her kids and family for hours afterwards.

"And it took a lot of time from her family and changed who she was. That was a very painful thing for her," said Dr. Phil.

"Dr. Phil" -- which is distributed by CBS television -- is devoting two episodes to the audio recordings - one airing Thursday and another airing Friday.

Fogle is facing five to 12 and a half years in prison and up to a $500,000 fine. His attorney declined to comment.

Subway told "CBS This Morning" they have not heard the tapes. The company says it feels duped and betrayed by Fogle, and that its sympathies go out to his victims and their families.




“Fogle was secretly recorded by a woman who had befriended him and then became an FBI informant, reports Vladimir Duthiers of CBS News's digital network, CBSN. The Daytime talk show "Dr.Phil" obtained the recordings and will air them Thursday. CBS News independently verified the recordings with the FBI. …. "I like all ages. That's the thing I mean," Fogle tells a woman in the recording. "It depends...who is ready for what. You know, who's going to give you the glance." The woman with Fogle is Rochelle Herman-Walrond, a former radio host who interviewed him and became suspicious when she overhead him say he found middle school girls attractive. …. "He talks about how to groom a family, he talks about how to groom the victim, he talks about all the things he does, the tricks of his trade," Dr. Phil said. "He just basically gives you the playbook of an evil monster." Fogle became a household name as a pitchman for Subway, and used his fame to establish a foundation promoting healthy lifestyles among children. …. After amassing five years-worth of recordings, Herman-Walrond finally reached her breaking point when Fogle mentioned her two young children. "What if we, what if we put a camera in your kids' room, would they be okay with that?," he asks her in the recording. "Would you rather have it in your son or your daughter's room? Which one do you think would be better?"

This is one of those sick and evil situations. Interestingly the woman in question was recording these conversations for an incredible five years before reporting the situation to the FBI, at the point when Fogle expressed interest in her own children. Is that weird, or what? I’m so glad she reported him, and I can see that five years’ worth of recordings would surely constitute probable cause, but she didn’t need to prove the case. The FBI did. They, I would think, would take a look at his Internet activity and record all his calls, not just those made to her. Maybe they could get recordings of him talking to a young person and “grooming them.” The FBI could also try to prove he was perhaps publishing some of his personal video recordings. Also, if he crossed the state line to meet one or more children for sexual activity that is at least statutory rape.

According to this article he has “pled guilty” to two related counts, but I’ll bet he has done much more than that in his career. Allowing a perp to plead to a lesser offense is a common way that police departments get a quick and easy admission rather than really digging up more evidence of other crimes and charging him accordingly. It allows them to close the case and move on to the next one. I think they probably did let him off much too easily for that type of crime. Of course, we’ll see what sentence he gets for it. If it’s two years probation I’ll be angry.

Unfortunately it happens that way a lot in rape cases of all kinds, as though those who write laws don’t consider sexual assault to be as serious as other violent crimes. I think there’s a hidden place in the minds of many or perhaps even all men that rebels against treating a suspect of that kind too roughly. It’s almost as though they consider it part of their privileges as a man. I hope that’s not true.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/washington-state-praying-football-coach-joe-kennedy/

School district takes action against praying football coach
AP October 29, 2015

Photograph -- Bremerton assistant football coach Joe Kennedy, in blue, is surrounded by Centralia players after they took a knee with him and prayed after their game against Bremerton in Bremerton, Wash., Oct. 16, 2015. MEEGAN M. REID/KITSAP SUN VIA AP


SEATTLE -- The coach of a Washington state high school football team who prayed at games despite orders from the school district to stop has been placed on paid administrative leave.

Bremerton School District officials said in a statement late Wednesday that assistant football coach Joe Kennedy's leave was necessitated because of his refusal to comply with district directives that he refrain from engaging in overt, public religious displays on the football field while on duty as a coach.

Kennedy has vocally engaged in pregame and postgame prayers, sometimes joined by students, since 2008. But the practice recently came to the district's attention, and it asked him to stop.

He initially agreed to the ban, but then, with support from the Texas-based Liberty Institute, a religious-freedom organization, he resumed the postgame prayers, silently taking a knee for 15 to 20 seconds at midfield after shaking hands with the opposing coaches. His lawyers insist he is not leading students in prayer, just praying himself.

"While the district appreciates Kennedy's many positive contributions to the BHS football program, and therefore regrets the necessity of this action, Kennedy's conduct poses a genuine risk that the District will be liable for violating the federal and state constitutional rights of students or others. For this reason, Kennedy will not be allowed to further violate the District's directives," the statement said.

The district said Kennedy remains employed by the district and, unless his status changes, will be paid through the remainder of his contract term. He won't be allowed to participate in any activities related to the Bremerton football program although the district said he can attend games as a member of the public.

The controversy has focused attention on Bremerton, across the Puget Sound west of Seattle, and on the role of religion in public schools. On Tuesday, dozens of lawmakers in the Congressional Prayer Caucus sent a letter to the superintendent expressing support for the coach.

Also this week, The Satanic Temple, which has 42 members in its Seattle chapter, announced that its members were open to being invited to a game, and a few students and teachers extended such invitations. The organization doesn't believe in Satan except as "a potent symbol of rebellion against tyranny," it says on its website. It's an atheist group that rejects the notion of supernatural deities and espouses values such as scientific inquiry and compassion, it says.

The group suggested that by allowing the coach to continue praying, the district has created a forum for religious expression open to all groups. It requested permission to perform an invocation on the field after the game. The district had not responded as of Wednesday and did not respond to a request for comment regarding the group.

On Wednesday night, Kennedy's lawyer, Hiram Sasser, called the paid leave a hostile employment action.

"It's surprising and shocking," Sasser said.

He said they plan to file a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which he said is a next step.




Well, the Liberty Institute is certainly proving to be a large burr under the national saddle. I personally think that if he ALONE kneels for a time period too short to say even a brief prayer it should be his personal right, though open to the charge of “showboating,” for effect. If he allows the players to follow his lead, however, it is a violation of federal law governing the public school system in that he is a representative of the school at the time. It should be his job to follow the rules even if he doesn’t like them.

Personally, I come from a religious tradition that considers such public display of religiosity not in good taste. The most I have done is hold hands with friends at a restaurant table while someone says a brief grace for the meal. That is also public, but I’m not representing an entity that is bound by federal rules to be non-sectarian. In the fourth or fifth grade I remember our teacher would have each student take turns every day giving a prayer from our own religious tradition. At that time it amounted to 20 or so Protestant Christians and a handful of Catholics and Jews. To me, that is the way school prayer, if it happens at all, should be handled. Everybody gets their chance. We had no Bible readings or discussions. It was school, not church.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/22-ancient-shipwrecks-discovered-near-greek-island/

22 ancient shipwrecks discovered near Greek island
By MEGAN GANNON LIVESCIENCE.COM
October 29, 2015

Photograph -- The remains of 22 shipwrecks, which comprised piles of cargo from the doomed vessels, have been discovered around the Greek archipelago of Fourni. V. MENTOGIANIS
Photograph -- shipwreck-8-3d-mapping-v-mentogianis.jpg
An archaeologist prepares a level on one of the wrecks. V. MENTOGIANIS
Play VIDEO -- $1M in treasure found in Florida shipwreck


Shipwrecks were the stuff of lore around the craggy coasts of Fourni, a Greek archipelago close to Turkey in the eastern Aegean Sea. Generations of local fishermen and sponge divers had seen piles of ancient pottery collecting algae on the seafloor. Last month, a group of marine archaeologists finally investigated the waters, and their wealth of findings far exceeded expectations.

During the very first dive of the expedition, the team found the remains of a late Roman-period wreck strewn with sea grass in shallow water. By day 5, the researchers had discovered evidence of nine more sunken ships. The next day, they found another six. By the time the 13-day survey was finished, the divers had located 22 shipwrecks-- some more than 2,500 years old -- that had never been scientifically documented before.

"I think we were all shocked," said Peter Campbell, co-director of the project from the U.S.-based RPM Nautical Foundation. "We were expecting three or four wrecks, and we would have been very happy." [See Photos of the Newly Discovered Greek Shipwrecks]

Just how many more wrecks are hidden around Fourni -- which lies between the islands of Samos and Icaria -- is anyone's guess, Campbell said. The expedition turned up doomed vessels from the Archaic period (700-480 B.C.) to the late medieval period (16th century A.D.), from depths of 180 feet (55 meters) to as shallow as 10 feet (3 m). And yet, this initial survey covered merely 17 square miles (44 square kilometers), just 5 percent of the archipelago's coast. Previously, about 180 ancient shipwrecks had been well-documented in all of Greece's territorial waters. These new discoveries add 12 percent to the total number of known wrecks, the leaders of the project said.

"In a survey, you don't really choose what you're going to find -- you just dive," George Koutsouflakis, the Greek director of the survey, from the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, told Live Science. "We knew already that Fourni was a hub in navigation in the Aegean, so we had some expectations, but the results surprised us. The importance of this place was underestimated."

Though Fourni didn't have major cities, it was notable in the ancient world for its location along Aegean crossing routes, both east-west and north-south. Early Imperial Roman sources say that Fourni was very prosperous, had a robust population and had marble mines in full operation, Koutsouflakis said. But mentions of the archipelago in late Roman texts are scant, which is why the divers were surprised that about half of the wrecks found in the survey date to this period. [In Photos: 'Most Beautiful Lakes' Discovered Beneath Aegean Sea]

"By the late Roman period, we don't really know anything about the island," Koutsouflakis said. "Fourni is hardly mentioned in the sources of that time. You see that the shipwrecks tell us a more nuanced story. The island must have maintained importance as a harbor site."

The main component of these shipwrecks, wood, isn't likely to survive centuries at the bottom of the sea, unless it is buried in mud without oxygen to fuel decomposition. So far, the wrecks that have been found around Fourni bear few traces of the vessels themselves (though future underwater excavations may change that). Instead, the divers documented messy piles of lost cargo, mostly transport vessels like amphoras, which sank with their ships close to the cliffs on Fourni's coast.

"A lot of times, you can see near the point of impact where the ships must have crashed, and then you have this scatter pile raining down the underwater slope of the cliff," Campbell said. "These aren't the nice ship-shaped piles of amphoras that you sometimes get in ships that wreck far out at sea. We probably do have some of those, but they're probably farther away from shore."

Campbell said that of the 22 newly discovered wrecks, three have unique cargos that have never been found before in Mediterranean shipwrecks: a trove of Archaic pots from nearby Samos that was probably destined for Cyprus, but didn't make it very far; a group of huge second-century A.D. amphoras from the Black Sea region; and a cache of "Sinopian carrots," or amphoras that come from Sinop on the Black Sea coast of Turkey and, as the name implies, are shaped vaguely like carrots.

Koutsouflakis and Campbell said they intend to go back to Fourni, equipped with underwater robots and other technologies, to search for more wrecks before they plan any underwater excavations. For now, they have taken artifact samples ashore for analysis at a laboratory in Athens, Greece, partly to try to find out what was on board -- wine, oil, fish sauce -- the ill-fated ships that met their demise at Fourni.




“By day 5, the researchers had discovered evidence of nine more sunken ships. The next day, they found another six. By the time the 13-day survey was finished, the divers had located 22 shipwrecks-- some more than 2,500 years old -- that had never been scientifically documented before. …. Just how many more wrecks are hidden around Fourni -- which lies between the islands of Samos and Icaria -- is anyone's guess, Campbell said. The expedition turned up doomed vessels from the Archaic period (700-480 B.C.) to the late medieval period (16th century A.D.), from depths of 180 feet (55 meters) to as shallow as 10 feet (3 m). …. "In a survey, you don't really choose what you're going to find -- you just dive," George Koutsouflakis, the Greek director of the survey, from the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, told Live Science. "We knew already that Fourni was a hub in navigation in the Aegean, so we had some expectations, but the results surprised us. The importance of this place was underestimated." …. Early Imperial Roman sources say that Fourni was very prosperous, had a robust population and had marble mines in full operation, Koutsouflakis said. But mentions of the archipelago in late Roman texts are scant, which is why the divers were surprised that about half of the wrecks found in the survey date to this period. …. The main component of these shipwrecks, wood, isn't likely to survive centuries at the bottom of the sea, unless it is buried in mud without oxygen to fuel decomposition. So far, the wrecks that have been found around Fourni bear few traces of the vessels themselves (though future underwater excavations may change that). …. The main component of these shipwrecks, wood, isn't likely to survive centuries at the bottom of the sea, unless it is buried in mud without oxygen to fuel decomposition. So far, the wrecks that have been found around Fourni bear few traces of the vessels themselves (though future underwater excavations may change that).”


Archaeologists really love finding things like this which flesh out their speculations and deductions. One article I read years ago stated that whole olives had been found in a bowl in Pompei preserved under the ash. They were desiccated, of course. From these wrecks they will have a good guess at the wealth in the seaport there, and it was apparently an important point in the Roman trade routes. It also may have been a difficult place to maneuver a ship since so many wrecks are there.

For a really interesting article on Greek history and archaeology called “A Time-line Of Ancient Greece,” see http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/greeks.html, It goes back to the Minoan Civilization at around 2800 BC and forward to around 500 AD. The “fish sauce” that has been found very likely refers to a staple in the Roman diet, according to an article I read long ago, which was used to flavor food, and which was produced by drying fish in the sun until it became more or less “putrid,” and then was made into a dipping sauce. Yum!

About “Fish sauce,” go to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, where it says “Fish sauce is an amber-coloured liquid extracted from the fermentation of fish with sea salt. It is used as a condiment in various cuisines. Fish sauce is a staple ingredient in numerous cultures in Southeast Asia and the coastal regions of East Asia, and features heavily in Cambodian, Filipino, Thai, Laotian and Vietnamese cuisines. It also was a major ingredient in ancient European cuisine, but is no longer commonly used in those regions.”





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/honolulu-police-officer-accused-of-arresting-lesbians-kissing-in-store/

Cop accused of arresting lesbians kissing in store
CBS/AP
October 29, 2015

Photograph -- Courtney Wilson, left, and Taylor Guerrero pose for a photo in Honolulu on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. AP PHOTO/JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER


HONOLULU -- The Honolulu Police Department opened an internal investigation Wednesday into allegations that an officer wrongfully arrested a vacationing lesbian couple after seeing them kissing in a grocery store.

Courtney Wilson and Taylor Guerrero, who were visiting Hawaii from Los Angeles in March, said in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that they were harassed and arrested because the officer didn't like their public displays of affection in a Foodland store on Oahu's North Shore.

They were walking through the aisles holding hands and at one point hugged and kissed, the lawsuit said. Officer Bobby Harrison, who was shopping in uniform, "observed their consensual romantic contact and, in a loud voice, ordered plaintiffs to stop and 'take it somewhere else.' "

The women complied and continued shopping, the lawsuit said. When Harrison again saw them being affectionate with each other, he threatened to have them thrown out of the store.

"We're used to people making remarks here and there," Wilson said of their two-year relationship.

While the women were in the check-out line, Harrison grabbed Wilson by the wrist, and she started to call 911, she said.

"He was bumping his belly against Courtney," Guerrero said. "He said, 'you girls don't know how to act. You don't know the difference between a motel and a grocery store.'"

When Guerrero tried to get in between her girlfriend and the officer, he shoved her. She kicked him as she was falling, she said.

"The whole situation got physical," Wilson said. "I got punched in the face by him."

Because Harrison didn't have any handcuffs on him, store employees helped restrain the women, as customers watched. "You can't really blame them for not getting involved," Wilson said of the bystanders.

Police earlier told The Associated Press that they couldn't comment on pending litigation, then later said they had opened the internal probe. Police department spokeswoman Michelle Yu said she would pass a message seeking comment from Harrison, a 26-year veteran, to his commander. He remains on full active duty. Foodland, which is not part of the lawsuit, apologized to the women, said their Honolulu attorney Eric Seitz. A Foodland spokeswoman didn't respond to requests for comment.

The women were arrested and charged with felony assault on an officer. They spent three days in jail and each paid a bail bondsman $1,300 for bail that was set at $12,000 each, they said. They had to remain in Honolulu as a condition of their release.

The charges were eventually dismissed, Seitz said.

In the meantime, they had to stay with family friends or strangers they befriended. At one point thought they would have to go to a homeless shelter. They found jobs cleaning vacation rentals.

The incident happened on the second day of their vacation, which was their first trip to Hawaii.

"I just think that what he did was absolutely wrong without a doubt," Wilson told CBS affiliate KGMB. "I just really want an example to be made."




“The Honolulu Police Department opened an internal investigation Wednesday into allegations that an officer wrongfully arrested a vacationing lesbian couple after seeing them kissing in a grocery store. …. They were walking through the aisles holding hands and at one point hugged and kissed, the lawsuit said. Officer Bobby Harrison, who was shopping in uniform, "observed their consensual romantic contact and, in a loud voice, ordered plaintiffs to stop and 'take it somewhere else.' " …. While the women were in the check-out line, Harrison grabbed Wilson by the wrist, and she started to call 911, she said. "He was bumping his belly against Courtney," Guerrero said. "He said, 'you girls don't know how to act. You don't know the difference between a motel and a grocery store.'" When Guerrero tried to get in between her girlfriend and the officer, he shoved her. She kicked him as she was falling, she said. "The whole situation got physical," Wilson said. "I got punched in the face by him." …. Police department spokeswoman Michelle Yu said she would pass a message seeking comment from Harrison, a 26-year veteran, to his commander. He remains on full active duty. …. The charges were eventually dismissed, Seitz said. In the meantime, they had to stay with family friends or strangers they befriended. At one point thought they would have to go to a homeless shelter. They found jobs cleaning vacation rentals.”

Bumping them with his belly? That sounds like an overt sexual assault to me. But they were charged with assault on the officer because at least one of them fought back when he grabbed the other. Luckily those charges have been dropped. The police department has not taken him off active duty, however, so that’s not a good sign. Could it be that Hawaii is not an equal opportunity state? Parts of the South are downright dangerous for gays, especially if they’re kissing in public.

Personally I think that kissing of the type that in high school I would have called “making out,” is a private activity no matter who is doing it, and shouldn’t be done in public. It’s similar to the way I feel about teenaged boys and girls wearing their clothes in such a way that important parts of their underwear are showing. It’s rude as heck and violates my privacy by forcing something on my attention that I don’t want to see.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medical-community-divided-over-new-american-cancer-society-mammogram-guidelines/

Leading doctors push back on new mammogram guidelines

CBS NEWS
October 29, 2015

Play VIDEO -- Controversial new mammogram guidelines set later testing age


The American Cancer Society says it came up with its recommendations that women start mammograms at an older age after reviewing the best medical evidence available, and weighing the benefits and harms of mammograms.

But this has boiled up controversy in the medical community, and three leading doctors are pushing back in a New York Times op-ed.

With more than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer expected this year, the doctors who wrote the editorial say early detection is key, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller.

"All of us believe that the bottom line is saving lives and mammography saves lives," said Dr. Susan Drossman.


As top specialists in the battle against breast cancer, Dr. Susan Drossman, Elisa Port and Emily Sonnenblick say they can't back the American Cancer Society's latest screening guidelines.

"The problem with these guidelines is that they're confusing to the very women that should benefit from mammography," said Dr. Port.

They publicly aired their concerns in the New York Times op-ed Wednesday, saying "We were happy to support the Cancer Society. Now, we no longer wish to be involved."

The new recommendations suggest women with an average risk start yearly mammograms at age 45 instead of 40. At 55, they can switch to every two years. But the American Cancer Society adds women start screening at age 40 "if they wish."

"Our goal is to empower people to make an informed decision," said Dr. Kevin Offenger, who chaired the independent panel that created the news guidelines. "As a woman ages, a breast issue tends to get less dense and makes reading easier."

But Dr. Sonnenblick called the guidelines a "setback."

"I've had the privilege of finding early cancers by screening these women in their forties," she said.

Critics worry the changes could lead insurance companies to limit coverage.

"The question is will we be covered to be screened? Will insurance companies jump on these guidelines and then say, sorry, no reimbursement," said Dr. Drossman.

Dr. Offenger asserts the American Cancer Society "continues to be one of the strongest voices for continuing insurance for women age 40 and older."

"At 45, there's no question by both how common breast cancer is, the ability for mammography to help save lives," he said. "Between 40 and 44, breast cancer is less common."

In the hundreds of responses the op-ed received online, there were strong reactions on both sides. One reader wrote, "What if the one "saved" woman is you? (Eight years ago it was me.) Or your sister? Or your daughter? Still willing to play the odds?"

Another said, "Personal experiences of the few should not drive medical policies for the majority."

Top oncologist and "CBS This Morning" medical contributor Dr. David Agus says the focus shouldn't be on when to get a mammogram, but how to better detect breast cancer with resources for better technologies.

"We want to be told what to do. But there isn't enough data now to tell every woman in the country what to do between the ages of 40 and 45 so that decision is between a woman, her family and her doctor to make the right decision for them," Dr. Agus said.

Adding to all the confusion, yet another new study is raising questions about the value of mammograms. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine found that despite women getting mammograms for decades, the testing hasn't cut the rate of detecting advanced breast cancer.



Read the op-ed entitled “Why the Annual Mammogram Matters” at this site:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/opinion/why-the-annual-mammogram-matters.html?_r=0, By SUSAN R. DROSSMAN, ELISA R. PORT and EMILY B. SONNENBLICK, OCT. 28, 2015




“With more than 200,000 new cases of breast cancer expected this year, the doctors who wrote the editorial say early detection is key, reports CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller. "All of us believe that the bottom line is saving lives and mammography saves lives," said Dr. Susan Drossman. …. The new recommendations suggest women with an average risk start yearly mammograms at age 45 instead of 40. At 55, they can switch to every two years. But the American Cancer Society adds women start screening at age 40 "if they wish." ….

I can’t help wondering what “independent panel” this was. Are the health insurance companies behind the question? They are the ones who will profit if they are allowed, based on this study, to stop covering mammograms except at this reduced schedule; and I can’t be convinced that not finding a cancer which then unfortunately grows larger and larger is LESS HARMFUL than the (surely minor) emotional disturbance that a “false positive,” causes. One thing is emotional and transitory and the other is physical and very real.

I am so grateful to the three doctors who have published their highly informed opinion on the matter. They are behaving as honest citizens and medical practitioners. They are trying to avoid “doing harm.” I first heard about this change in recommended frequency about six months ago, and was appalled. I want to see the American Cancer Society retract their harmful words and review the matter from the standpoint of a woman whose cancer has metastasized and gone to her lungs or brain, as commonly happens. They should leave the standards as they have been and make the insurance companies pay up as needed. Big business is really dirty in the way it operates. That’s another reason why I’m a Democrat.





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-communist-party-to-abolish-one-child-policy/

China's leaders to nix 1-child policy after 35 years
CBS/AP
October 29, 2015

37 PHOTOS -- Growing up alone in China
Play VIDEO -- China scales back one-child policy


BEIJING -- China's ruling Communist Party announced Thursday that it will abolish the country's decades-old one-child policy and allow all couples to have two children, removing remaining restrictions that limited many urban couples to only one, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Xinhua said on its microblog that the decision to allow all couples to have two children was "to improve the balanced development of population" and to deal with an aging population in China.

The decision does away with an unpopular policy that was long considered one of the party's most onerous intrusions into family life.

1-Child policy leaves couple distraught after alleged forced abortion

The decision was contained in a Communist Party communique that followed a meeting of the party's Central Committee on planning the country's economic and social development through 2020. In recent years, it has been unusual for such plenary sessions to result in major decisions. They generally focus on economic topics and there was no indication that this one would take action on the one-child policy.

China eased its one-child policy in 2013 to allow couples in which one partner has no siblings to have two children. Couples in which both partners have no siblings and rural families whose firstborn child is a girl already had been allowed to have a second child for many years.

Despite estimates that the exemptions introduced in 2013 would bring as many as 2 million extra births per year, only 700,000 newly qualified couples applied to have a second child during 2014, Chinese officials said.

The lower-than-expected number of applications last year had some critics arguing for the abolition of the strict family planning policies, which have limited most urban families to only one child. They argued that China's low birth rate would cause the country to age quickly and hurt its economic viability.

The population-control policy has been in effect in China since September 1978.




“Xinhua said on its microblog that the decision to allow all couples to have two children was "to improve the balanced development of population" and to deal with an aging population in China. The decision does away with an unpopular policy that was long considered one of the party's most onerous intrusions into family life. …. China eased its one-child policy in 2013 to allow couples in which one partner has no siblings to have two children. Couples in which both partners have no siblings and rural families whose firstborn child is a girl already had been allowed to have a second child for many years.”


I can see how the one child policy would produce a situation in which there are fewer citizens of working age than the non-productive older people, and that’s an economic matter. That has been discussed in the US also, because especially when the Baby Boomers hit retirement age a few years ago it put a stress on our Social Security system which is financed by the current workers, in other words, younger people. That’s why all the claims that the SS system may go bankrupt among conservatives. It wouldn’t go bankrupt as long as workers are still required to pay into the retirement plan, but the income from a reducing workforce can cause the benefits to be a more onerous burden on the government and thus cause us to have to borrow more and more.

There is another problem with the one child policy in China, namely that if a couple can have only one child they tend to want a boy. Boys are favored in all or nearly all Eastern societies over girl children. That was mentioned in an article several years ago as a cause of abortions in China when a couple found that they were going to have a girl and were only allowed one child. Girls don’t make as good farm workers and may not be educated as highly or attain lucrative positions for the family in other ways. The negative is that boys appear slightly less often than girls in a natural family, but if the girl children are aborted and the couple waits until they get a boy, the population will probably contain more boys than girls. Then the boys as they mature have fewer girls to choose as mates. In many societies men can have two wives, but women can’t have two husbands due to social norms. It does occur, called polyandry, but it is rare worldwide. For places where it occurs, see the Internet. There are a good many articles about it.

Many US couples now have no more than two children, and often only one, but it is voluntary. There is a matter of social dynamics in a family with only one child which I think is important. When an only child grows up he or she doesn’t have to share and they don’t learn how to fight openly and fairly, a disadvantage in such a highly social and competitive society as we have here. Kids need to be able to cope with their school relationships, work relationships and marriages, etc. A person who grows up with no peers tends to be unable to bond as well or empathize as much. They are more likely to be introverted and, all too often, more selfish. In a two child family, they will play together, learn together, and work together. Their personality will be stronger and more flexible, and will be better citizens all the way around. They learn not to steal or cheat because their sister or brother will bop them over the head when they do it.

They also will receive a more equitable share of the parental love which is available. That important commodity ensures more personal security and comfort all the way around for each child. A child who is not loved enough tends to be warped in one way or another. Though parents always will say that they love each child equally, all we have to do is look closely at the situation to see that this is simply not the case. It is my belief that when there are too many children in the family the parents are stretched too thin in the love department, and also of course in the physical resources as well – food, money, etc. We may love our daughter, but if there’s no money she still can’t have a new dress.

The other good reason to have only two children is that the societal population will grow more slowly, which is good as the worldwide need to provide food and jobs for all depends a good deal on a manageable population. Starvation can become a problem in such a society. It was at such a point that the Jews emigrated from Palestine to Egypt so long ago, much to their misfortune. If the Global Warming follows the trend that is feared today, there may not be enough food in the US either, not to mention water. Without water farmers can’t produce vegetation, at any rate. We could go back to an all meat diet, but even farm animals have to have grain or grass to eat, so it’s starvation either way. Of course, that’s another matter. I’ll look at the environment another day.